Grain-riddle.



w. R. SCHWARTZ.

GRAIN RIDDLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1918.

1,281,855. Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

I I h 33 519% 1 IT 32 111 WILLIAM R. SCHWARTZ, OF INDEPENDENCE, NORTH DAKOTA.

" GRAIN-RIDDLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, WILLIAM R. SCHWARTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Independence, in the county of La Moure and State of North Dakota, have invented Itis an important object of my invention to provide a grain riddle embodying a plurality of relatively movable riddle plates and means yieldingly holding the plates in their normal positions. and means for moving said platesso asto dislodge wild oats and other worthless material which may have become clogged between the. riddle plates.

It is invention to provide an improved-construction'of the riddle plate, whereby theplate is made strongfand durable in practical use and mayalso be manufactured at relatively small cost. I r V It is also an object of the invention to provide 'a grain riddle having a series of pivotally mounted riddle plates, 'each plate be ing provided with a plurality of spaced slots'therein, and partition-members fixed to. one edge of each of the plates and operating in the slots of'an adjacent plate. said partition members coacting with the latter plate to limit the pivotal movement of the riddle. plates toward 'each other and sub dividethe space between of theadjacent plates. g

It is also. a further general object of the invention to provide a grain riddle as above characterized which is highly. serviceable and convenient for the purpose in view, and is of such construction that it maybe incorporated in grain cleaning machines of various types. I

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the improved construction, combination and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference also one of the detail objects of my' the opposed faces characters designate corresponding parts throughout the I several views, and where- 1n:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my im proved grain riddle;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4: is a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the blanks from which the riddle plates are formed.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a suitable riddle supporting frame which includes longitudinal side bars 5 and the transverse end bars 6 connecting said side bars.

Between the side bars 5 of the frame, a series of riddle plates generally designated by the numeral 7 are operatively mounted. Each of these riddle lates is formed from a single plate of s eet steel, which is stamped or cut out as shown in Fig. 5 to provide a substantially rectangular body portion having the two series of spaced slots or openings 8 and 9, respectively,-located adjacent to the opposite longitudinal edges of. said plate. The body of the plate is further provided intermediate of the two series of openings 8 and 9, and approximately at the center thereof, with a third series of relatively long slots or openings 10. The body of the plate is provided at its opposite ends with the laterally projecting relatively narrow Wings or extensions 11. Each of these wings or extensions is provided with an obliquely inclined slot 12, and in spaced relation to said slot, with an opening 13.

.Each wing is further provided 1n its outer cent its opposite longitudinal edge is pro- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct 15 1918,

Application filed April 3, 1918. Serial No. 226,514.

vided with a laterally projecting tongue 16. v

The riddle plate, after being stamped or cut out in the manner above explained, is bent. longitudinally along a line substantially midway between the two series of slots 8 and '10 thereof, and the edge portion 17 of the body of the plate having the series of slots or openings 8 is disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the adjacent body portion of the plate. The plate through the slots 8 in is then again bent upon itself, and in a relatively opposite direction, along a line bisect ing the'slots l0, and the twoportions of the plate in which the slots 10 are out are disposed in close contacting relation upon each other as indicated at 18. The other longi: tudinal edge of the plate having the project firs'tbendof the plate, so that the portion 17 of the riddle plate will extend. .at an acutev angle with relation to this projecting edge portion ofthe plate-in which the series of slots 9 are provided. Finally, the wings 11 are bent at right angles to the plane of the body of the plate and against the ends of the edge portion 17 of the riddle plate, the tongue 16 being received through the obliquely inclined slots 12 in said Wings.

These tongues are then bent over upon the outer faces of the Wings 11. The openings 13 at the inner endsof'thewings 11 are now disposed substantially in line with the first bend made in the riddle'pla'te.

19. designates a plurality of partition blades or members with which each riddle plate is provided.

sheet metal and is of irregular form in outline, said member bein provided with tongues designated 20 and 21, respectively, on two'of itsedges and with a projecting stop shoulder 22 on another edge thereof; The lugs 20 are adapted to be engaged thelu'gs 21 are engaged through. theslots 9 in said plate, said lugs being then bent over upon one face of the plate to thereby rigidly secure the partition members in place. These partition members are adapted to operate in the slots 10 of an adjacent riddle plate,

said members projects beyond the inner end of theslot forengagem'ent upon the upperside of the riddle plate, thereby limiting the movement of the contiguous edges of the riddle plates toward each other. The lugs or shoulders 15011 the wings 11 of each ride dle plate engage with the adjacent riddle plate in a similar manner to the shoulders 22 of the partition members 19.

The riddle plates are mounted for pivotal or rocking movement between the longitudinal frame bars 5 upon the spaced'rod s' 23 which are fixed at their ends in Said frame bars, saidrods extending through the openings 13 in the angularly disposedwings 'of the riddle,

of the" respective riddle plates andfitting closely "in the bend of the riddlejplate first above referred to.

meansof the metal straps or bars 24;, said bars being pivotally connected to the wings on the "relatively opposite ends of the'riddle plates by means of the pivot studs 25 which I a transverse rod 26'.

Each of these partition members'is likewise stamped or cut from the riddle plate while as clearly shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawing and the shoulder 22 of each of The several riddle plates are operatively connected to f each other by are engaged in the openings 14 in said wings. In lieu. of the. studs: 25, .the wings of one or more of the riddle plates are connected to the strapsor bars 2& by means of Upon" this rod, an

elongated member 27 having a sleeve 28 centrally positioned between the opposed ing wings .11 thereon extends beyond the portion s thereof is engaged. To one;.sider,of

themember 27 one end of a coil spring 29 is attached,.the other end of said spring being connected to an eye indicated at 30 fixed in one of the transverse fram e bars'fi, 3,1 designates a lever pivotedat oneo'f its ends as at 32 upon the other frame bar6 and Thisllever' operating in a suitable guide is connected intermediate of-its' ends by means of the rod 34 to the other side of the member 27. l

To the last named transverse frame bar 6 1 whereon the operating lever 3l'is'mounted; a stationary riddle plate 85 is-secured. This plate'is similar in constructon to 'theriddl-e plates abovedescribed with the exception that it is not=provided with the angular wings 11' or the partition members 19, the longitudinal edges of said plate being rigidly fixed by means of suitable fastening elements indicated at 36 to theframe bar.

From the foregoing descrlption taken in" 7 connection with the accompanying drawing, f

the constructiom manner of I operation, and several advantages of my improved grain" riddle will be clearly' and fully understood' It will be observed 3 of the drawing that in the normal posi; tions of the riddle plates, their contiguous portions are held in spaced other and in obliquely inclined positions with respect to the plane of the frame bars the respective proved riddle, the wild oats traneous matter passes over the riddle plates to a'ndis discharged beneath the riddle; Frequently,

from" reference to Fig-.

relation to each I however, these spaces between' the members 19' and between the; name;

plates become clogged so that the bad grain is not separated V In such instances the operator simply' en and moves said lever toward the upper-end riddle plates upon their 7 against the action of the spring 29, and upon the return of the riddle foreign matter will be dislodged and jpass out through the spaces thereby rockingthe sg'z'veral respective pivots '12s platesto their nor mal positions when the lever is' released,the

. we n" he m me; ha 19 Itfri re Q seberede eedthat from' that] which is good. i

120. gages the end of the lever 31with the fing r any desired number of the riddle plates may be employed, and these plates may be otherwise connected for unltary pivotal movement than in the manner above described. By constructing the individual riddle plates from a single plate of sheet steel as hereinbefore explained, these plates can be expeditiously manufactured at relatively small cost. This construction also provides a riddle plate of great durability, and the partition members 19 which operate in the slots 10, elfectually obviate relative shifting movement of the riddle plates in the line of other axes. The number of the partition members 19 may also be varied as desired. The several other parts of the device are likewise of very simple form so that the riddle as a whole can be produced and operatively incorporated in various types of grain cleaning machines without materially increasing the manufacturing cost of the latter.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred construction, relative arrangement of the various parts of the device, it is to be understood that the same are susceptible of considerable modification and I therefore reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a grain riddle, a plurality of pivotally mounted riddle plates, each having folded contacting portions and spaced diverging portions, said contacting portions of the plate having spaced slots therein, partition members fixed between the diverging portions of each riddle plate and movable through the slots in an adjacent riddle plate, each of said partitions having a forwardly projecting stop lug to engage upon the upper surface of the adjacent riddle plate and limit the relative movement of said plates in one direction, and means for rocking the riddle plates upon their pivots.

2. In a grain riddle, a plurality of pivotally mounted riddle plates having overlapping portions, a. plurality of spaced partition members fixed to each of the riddle plates, the adjacent riddle plate having slots therein to receive said partition members, said members each having means coacting with the latter riddle plate to space the overlapping portions of the plates from each other when the plates are in their normal positions, said partition members also transversely subdividing the space between said plates, and means for rocking the riddle plates upon their pivots.

3. A riddle plate for grain riddles consisting of a sheet metal blank bent upon itself to provide portions disposed at an acute angle with respect to each other, a plurality of partition members fixed between said portions of the riddle plate and adapted to coact with an adjacent riddle plate to space the plates from each other in the normal positions thereof, the riddle plate being further provided with a plurality of spaced slots to receive the spaced members fixed to an adjacent riddle plate, and wings proj ecting from the opposite ends of the riddle plate and adapted to be angularly bent with respect to the body of the plate, one of said inclined portions in the plate having means for the connection of said wings thereto.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. SCHWARTZ.

Witnesses:

R. M. CRIoH'roN, T. J. GAUGHAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Batents, Washington, D. G. 

